Transform Cake Mixes by Adding Whipped Cream
My love for boxed chocolate brownies is strong and sincere, but – with the exception of the great synthetic funfetti – I’ve never had much of an attachment to cake made from an almost instant mix. They always seemed too sweet, too monotonous, and had a distinct baking powder flavor that could not be ignored. But things are different now because I found an ingredient that not only improves the flavor of the mixed cake in boxes, but also improves the texture, and that ingredient is whipped cream.
It all started with an article from Food52 arguing that half a cup of whipped cream would improve any cake dough. According to the article, you not only add creamy, delicate flavor and rich moisture, but also increase the height due to the air inside the structure of the whipped dairy products. After testing the additive in various favorite recipes, Food52 determined that whipped cream shines brightest in a thick dough rather than a super wet dough, which makes sense. However, they haven’t tried it with the box mix.
Box mixes are, in a sense, one of the original culinary techniques. Invented for a housewife described somewhat caustically in Mother’s Little Helper, these concoctions helped women bake cakes in the mouths of their affectionately sexist husbands and very loud children. (At least that’s what I imagine. I’ve watched a lot of Mad Men.) Convenient cooking is no longer in vogue – the general vibe of baking culture seems to be ‘do it yourself or die’ – but the cake mix still exists, and that’s it. still achievable. for in moments of weakness, panic, or a simple desire to eat the damn pie without measuring too much.
I am definitely not a baker and have no doubt that I use any mixes, but I would like the resulting cake to be as good as possible. Adding whipped cream turns the boxed cake into the best version of itself. The pie is almost impossibly moist, but not greasy, light and elastic, but at the same time retains its structure, and also has a delicate crumb that seems too uniform throughout the pie. On the palate side, the extra fat helps to muffle some of the characteristic flavors of the packaged mix while adding a dose of dairy that tastes like “almost butter.”
To perform this maneuver, simply stir the dough as usual, whisking vigorously until all the ingredients listed on the package are completely blended. Whisk half a cup of heavy cream in a separate bowl (I use a hand blender as it makes the whipped cream thicker and more firm) and then gently add it to the batter using a silicone spatula. The cream should be mostly blended, but a few thin strips are more than normal. Bake the cake according to the instructions, keeping in mind that excess moisture can increase the baking time by several minutes.
Can the resulting cake “fool” connoisseurs into thinking that the cake made from the mixture is homemade? I don’t know, but it could deceive me, especially when combined with homemade icing, and it tastes very tasty , which is important. A mixture I wouldn’t recommend adding whipped cream to? Brownies, as it makes them less Fudger and more brownie (a big crime), and boxed chocolate brownies are already perfect.
The One and Only Ingredient That Will Make Any Cake 1000 Times Better | Food52